The Institute for Technology and Civic Leadership (ITCL) has awarded $186,314 in seed grants for 32 faculty projects across campus. The funded work aligns with the new institute’s mission of preparing students and society to navigate rapidly advancing technologies and exercise leadership in a complex civic environment.  

The awards, the first made by the new institute, were made in three areas: curricular development, work to translate research insights on civic or policy issues for non‑specialist audiences, and small research projects on themes central to the ITCL mission.  

"We were inspired by the depth and creativity of proposals from every corner of campus," said Aaron Levine, ITCL interim executive director. "These projects demonstrate a shared commitment to integrating civic leadership and civil discourse into our classrooms and research in ways that will prepare students to navigate society’s most complex technological and human challenges."  

Led by the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts (IAC) and reflecting widespread interest across campus, the funded proposals come from almost every college, the Georgia Tech Library, and two Interdisciplinary Research Institutes, the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems and the Institute for Data Engineering and Science.

ITCL was launched in spring 2026 in partnership with the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts as a campuswide hub for research and education focused on technology and civil discourse and human flourishing.

The new institute draws on rigorous research to develop and support civic-minded, technological leaders and policy-aware innovators, equipping them to lead in a pluralistic democracy and an interconnected, innovation-driven world. 

Grants Awarded

  • "US Women Writers & Politics; Curricular Enhancement": Carol Colatrella, LMC
  • "An Age of Revolutions: Technology and the Remaking of American Life, 1820-1860": Christopher Lawton, HSOC
  • "Architecture, Machines, and the Civic Compass": Elisa Dainese, Architecture
  • "Civic Technology in Action: Embedding Civic Leadership and Ethical Innovation in the I²CE VIP Program": Ingeborg Rocker, Architecture
  • "New Course Proposal: Science, Technology, and Global Development": Jennifer Hamilton, INTA
  • "Creating a Human Centered Research Mini Project Module on Technology in Civic Engagement": Jessica Roberts, IC
  • "US-China Competition on AI Technology": Jin Liu, ML
  • "Open Government in the Digital Age": John Mack Freeman, Library
  • "Teaching Information Literacy for the Digital Age": Michael Young, WCP
  • "Engineering a US-Japan Future: A New Course Module": Amanda Weiss, ML
  • "How is Space Policy Made? Navigating the U.S. Space Policy Environment": Mariel Borowitz, INTA
  • "Cultivating Civic Dialogue Around AI Infrastructure through Immersive Storytelling and Data Sonification": Alexandria Smith, Music
  • "In the Fog of Misinformation: A New Approach to Anti-Science and Post-Truth": Amit Prasad, HSOC
  • "A datacenter for every community: Toward Local-First Civic Infrastructure": Ashutosh Dhekne, CS
  • "“Data Centers and Democracy”: Leveraging Spatial Data and Voting Returns to Understand the Political Impact of Emerging Technology": Austin Beacham, INTA
  • "A New Data Wraparound Tool for Civic Meetings and Local Leaders": Clio Andris, CRP/IC
  • "DELPHI: An AI-Agent for Conflict Forecasting and Prevention": David Muchlinski, INTA
  • "Local Planning Debates as Sites of Civic Deliberation on AI and Automation": Gregory Randolph, CRP
  • "Designing Toolkits to Explore Tree’s Infrastructural Impact on Heat for Youth Education in Atlanta": Heidi Biggs, LMC
  • "Building Empirical Foundations for the Inclusion of Lived Experience in Neurotechnology Research; Research Support": Jennifer Singh/Kinsey Herrin, HSOC/ME
  • "Designing Civic AI Through Participatory Co-Creation: Exploring Democratic Engagement in AI-Driven System": Leila Aflatoony, ID
  • "Restorative Data Center Ecosystems: A Framework for Co-Producing Ecoystems Services": Michael Helms, ME
  • "Integrating Systems & Network Mapping to Support Civic Action in Atlanta’s Food System": Nicole Kennard, BBISS
  • "Studying Learner Use and Experience of AI Coaching in Online Skill Learning": Rahul Dass, IDeAS
  • "(Re)Designing Institutional Review Boards for Shaping AI Research Ethics": Richmond Wong, LMC
  • "From Norplant to Metadata: Technology, Reproduction, and Black Women’s Civic Leadership in the United States": Sherie Randolph, HSOC
  • "Digital Nudge Systems and Grassroots Civic Participation": Suvrat Dhanorkar, Scheller
  • "Map Spot Revisited: Expanding Youth Mapmaking as a Catalyst for Civic Resilience": Yanni Loukissas, LMC
  • "Papers, Please: The Privacy Risks of Online Age Verification": Harry Oppenheimer, Public Policy
  • "Responsible and Effective Use of AI in Public-Facing Critical Infrastructure Systems": Iris Tien, CEE
  • "Power, Water, and Public Trust: Governing Data Centers as Civic Infrastructure": Kristin Janacek, BBISS
  • "Seeing Democracy Through AI Imagery: Implications for Political Discourse, Public Trust, and Civic Leadership": Roberto Gonzalez, Economics

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